Bag
The Shepherd's Bag
The simplest bag mentioned in Scripture is the shepherd's bag or wallet, a leather pouch made from animal skin, large enough to carry a day's provisions. David carried such a bag when he went to face Goliath, selecting five smooth stones from the brook and putting them in his shepherd's bag (1 Samuel 17:40, 49). This same type of bag is the "scrip" or "wallet" that Jesus instructed His disciples not to carry when He sent them out on their mission: "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money" (Luke 9:3; see also Matthew 10:10; Mark 6:8). The prohibition reflected Jesus' call to radical dependence on God's provision rather than human preparedness.
The Traveler's Purse
A more refined leather pouch served as a purse for carrying money and small valuables. The Greek word for this bag appears in Jesus' instructions: "Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals" (Luke 10:4). Later, Jesus reversed this instruction: "But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack" (Luke 22:36), indicating changed circumstances as opposition to His followers intensified. Luke 12:33 uses the same word when Jesus urges, "Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail," contrasting earthly financial security with eternal investment.
The Merchant's Weight Bag
Merchants carried small bags containing their weights for measuring goods in transactions. The law strictly regulated the integrity of these weights: "You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small" (Deuteronomy 25:13). Proverbs reinforces this: "Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and false scales are not good" (Proverbs 20:23). The merchant's weight bag thus became a symbol of commercial honesty and integrity. The temptation to carry two sets of weights — one for buying and one for selling — was common enough that the law addressed it explicitly, and the prophets condemned dishonest merchants (Micah 6:11; Amos 8:5).
The Money Bag and the Girdle
The oriental girdle, or belt, often served as a money bag. Made of cloth or leather, it was worn in folds that could hold coins and small items. When Jesus told His disciples to acquire "no gold or silver or copper in your belts" (Matthew 10:9), He was referring to this practice. The word translated "purse" in this passage actually means "girdle." Judas Iscariot was entrusted with the disciples' common money bag (Greek glossokomon), and the Gospel of John notes that "he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it" (John 12:6; 13:29). Judas's misuse of the bag provides a cautionary tale about the corruption that access to shared resources can produce.
Bags as Metaphor for Value and Preservation
Scripture uses bags figuratively to express the preservation or loss of what is valuable. In one of the most beautiful images in the Old Testament, Abigail tells David, "The life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life in the care of the LORD your God" (1 Samuel 25:29) — picturing God safeguarding David's life as a precious jewel kept securely in a bag. Conversely, Haggai uses a bag with holes to describe the futility of working apart from God's blessing: "You earn wages to put them into a bag with holes" (Haggai 1:6). Job uses the image of sins sealed in a bag to describe God's careful accounting: "My transgression is sealed up in a bag" (Job 14:17).
Bags in the Parable of the Talents
Jesus' parable of the talents involves a master who entrusts bags of gold (talents) to his servants before departing on a journey (Matthew 25:14-30). Two servants invest wisely and double their master's money, while the third buries his talent in the ground out of fear. The parable teaches that God entrusts His gifts to His people and expects faithful stewardship, not fearful preservation. The servant who hid his talent was condemned not for losing money but for doing nothing with what was given to him. The bag of gold thus becomes a symbol of every gift, opportunity, and responsibility that God places in human hands.
Biblical Context
Bags appear across both Testaments. David's shepherd bag features in 1 Samuel 17:40. The Mosaic law regulates merchants' weight bags (Deuteronomy 25:13). Jesus' instructions to His disciples reference traveling bags and purses (Matthew 10:9-10; Luke 9:3; 10:4; 22:36). Judas's money bag appears in John 12:6 and 13:29. Figurative uses include 1 Samuel 25:29 (bundle of life), Haggai 1:6 (bag with holes), and Job 14:17 (sins sealed in a bag). The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) uses bags of gold as its central image.
Theological Significance
Bags in Scripture consistently point to themes of stewardship, integrity, and trust. The merchant's weight bag teaches that God demands honesty in all transactions. Jesus' prohibition against carrying bags during mission teaches radical dependence on God. Judas's misuse of the money bag warns of the corrupting power of financial trust. The 'bag with holes' in Haggai illustrates the futility of labor that ignores God. The 'bundle of life' in 1 Samuel reveals God as the protector of what is most precious. Together, these images teach that everything of value ultimately belongs to God and must be handled with faithfulness.
Historical Background
In the ancient Near East, bags and pouches were essential items of daily life, made from leather, cloth, or woven materials. Before the development of coined money, merchants carried bags of standardized weights for transactions. The introduction of coinage in the seventh century BC changed commercial practices but did not eliminate the need for bags. Archaeological excavations throughout Palestine have uncovered stone and metal weights, some inscribed with their values, along with the remains of leather and textile containers. The girdle-purse remained a common means of carrying money throughout the Roman period, as evidenced by artistic representations and literary references.